marchthal



Dec. 3, 1929.

E. MARCHTHAL 1,737,932

RAILWAY TICKET DELIVERING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 12, 1927 Dec. 3, 1929,.

E. M ARCHTHAL RAILWAY TICKET DELIVERING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 12, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 3, 1929. E. MARCHTHAL RAILWAY TICKET DELIVERING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 12, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 i ax 11141602 7- flaw $2 Patented Dec. 3, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDUARD MARCHTHAL, OF BERLIN-CHARLOTTENBURG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TOSIE- MENS & HALSKE, AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, OF SIEMENSSTADT, NEAR BERLIN, GER- MANY, A CORPORATION OF GERMANY RAILWAY-TICKET-DELIVERING APPARATUS Appiicationfiled November 12, 1927, Serial No. 232,905, and in Germany November 2, 1926.

My invention relates to a railway ticket deliverin apparatus.

It is know n to use apparatus for the quick sale of railway tickets to short distance stations and suburbs on city and suburban, elevated and'underground railways, which print the tickets upon demand at the ticket office, on a continuous strip of paper drawn from a reel and deliver them individually or in the form of continuous strips. The number of tickets delivered does generally not exceed 5 to 10 and the-number of classes of tickets is likewise small. On the other hand it is necessary that the speed of printing and delivering the tickets be high.

I As a rule a separate cell or con'lpartment is provided for each sort of ticket in which the printing of the'station, the date, the running number, the amount of the fare and any other special demarcations are effected as well as the severing from the coil strip of stout paper or cardboard. The ticket delivering apparatus is as a rule electrically operated and controlled by keys, at least one key being provided for each sort of ticket. In apparatus operated by means of a single key for each sort of ticket, the number of the tickets to be issued can be determined by the number or the duration of the depressions of the keys. The latter method of operation has. however, the drawback that the duration of the depression of the key is an uncertain measure for the number of the tickets issued, while the former method viz. to depress the key a number of times corresponding with the number of tickets demanded takes a comparatively long time.

In other known constructions of ticket delivering apparatus are provided quantity keys besides the sort keys. These quantity keys are either common to all sorts of tickets, or a number of quantity keys corresponding with the number of tickets which may be demanded simultaneously is provided adjacent to each sort key. These constructions have the drawback that they work comparatively slowly and are liable to cause errors, since it is always necessary to depress first the quantity key and then the sort key. The arrangements in which for each sort key aplurality of quantity keys are provided result in a very complicated arrangement which cannot be easily and conveniently surveyed by an unskilled user.

According to my invention the member initiating the printing and the delivering process is coupled with a gearing which sets the number of the tickets to be issued and which disconnects automatically the printing and delivering mechanism after the number of tickets for which the apparatus has been set have been issued. For delivering a definite after the other or they appear uncut or partly severed from one another only in form of a tape or band and must then be separated so that oblique tearing cannot always be avoided. The possibility also arises that they are blown away by a gustof wind. 'These drawbacks are according to my invention eliminated by providing a holding device for the printed and severed tickets of the same kind. If a plurality of tickets are issued they are cut off individually and oflered to the purchaser arranged in the form of a package or stack. In this way'the key board can be surveyed by the user far more easily and the operation is considerably simplified.

On some railways, for instance elevated or underground railways, a preferred rate is allowed when a certain number of tickets of a kind, say ten tickets, are purchased at the time. To relieve the ticket delivering apparatus proper from issuing such quantities of tickets one or a plurality of printing cells may be provided, which are set for a definite larger number of tickets so that by releasing the printing mechanism the printing of a certain desired quantity of tickets is initiated, the number of which cannot be altered.

If a number of printing cells are arranged so far apart that their accommodation is not possible at the ticket counter the arrangement may be such that these more remote cells which are not provided with a pocketing device drop the tickets on to a conveyor band which picks them up and conveys them to a collecting station.

A plate in front of the delivery slot prevents coins and other small articles from dropping into the apparatus.

One of the principal features of the invention is that a single operation of the release device causes the printing and the delivery of a definite quantityof tickets. In order to prevent that errors in the number of tickets delivered arise by detaining the selector mechanism in the selecting position for some time or by operation of the selector mechanism'during the printing process, the arrangement is such that the selector and releasing mechanism becomes inoperative after the selection has been finished and the printing process has been initiated, so that a detaining of the apparatus or a subsequent adjustment has no effect upon the working of the apparatus.

In the drawings affixed hereto and forming part of my specification some embodiments of my invention are'illustrated by way of example. I I

These drawings represent in Fig. 1, a side elevation of the mechanism for initiating the operation of the ticket delivering machine,

Fig. 2, the printing mechanism and paper feeding gear in side elevation.

Fig. 3, the printing and delivering mechanism as well as the ticket severing device,

Fig. 4, a plan,and in v Fig. 5, a cross-section of the device for preventing interference once the printing process has been initiated,

Fig. 6. a diagrammatic view of the piling mechanism, and

Fig. 7, a diagrammatic view of the slot closing device,

Fig.8, a side 8l"ail0!1 of theassembled apparatus and in l I Fig. 9, an end view of the front portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 8. the details of the printing mechanism and the spur gears and cams shown in Fig. 2 being omitted.

' Like parts are indicated by like numerals of reference throughout all the figures of the drawings.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings which illustrates the mechanism for initiating the operation of the ticket delivering mechanism, 1 is the release lever and 6 the selector drum with the notches or recesses 2, 3, 4 and 5 which correspond with the number of tickets to be delivered. For delivering a certain number of tickets. say three, the operator puts his finger into notch 3 and turns the selector drum 6 in the direction of the arrow 7 so far that the lever 1 is moved up to the stop 8 against spring 1*. ()n the drum 6 is mounted a stop 9 the pecularities of which aleexplained further on. The stop 9 abuts against a stop 10 on a toothed quadrant 11. The quadrant 11 also carries the bolt12. During a rotation of the drum 6 in the direction of the arrow 7 the toothed quadrant 11 is turned in the direction of the arrow 7 by the stops 9'and 10 and can be locked in' position by a bell crank pawl 13, or 14, Fig. 3, after the rotation is finished. In this way first the number of the tickets to be delivered is adjusted. Simultaneously with the rotation of the lever 1 the push bar 15 has been pushed downwards and has by its end 16 moved downward a detent 17 which is integral with a rocker element 35. The motion of the lower end 16 of the bar 15 is such that it slips off the detent 17 during the downward motion of the latter. By the downward motion of detent 17 the detent 18, also integral with rocker element 35, has been moved upward in the direction of the upwardly pointing arrow and has thus released the nose 19 of a lever 20 pivoted at 32 on a cam 33. The lever 20 moves under the control of a compression spring 21 in the direction of the arrow until its nose 22 rests upon the disc 23. Detent 18 returns to the position shown under the action of the spring 24, as soon as detent 17 has become disengaged from the end 16 of bar 15.

By the adjustment of the disc 11.the bolt 12 has simultaneously moved counter-clockwise. In this way the locking lever 25 has been released and, in swinging clockwise under the action of spring 26, is permitted to swing its edge 27 against the square top 28. The disc 23 is mounted upon the driving shaft 29 and rotates in the direction of the arrow 30 shown in stout lines. If now the notch 31 of this disc comes opposite the nose 22 of the lever 20 the nose engages the notch and the lever 20 and the disc 23 are coupled together.

The cam 33 to which lever 20 is pivotally attached rotates loosely upon the shaft 29. By the engagement of the nose 22 with the notch 31 the cam 33 is coupled with the shaft 29 and rotates in unison with it. Upon the circumference of the cam 33 rolls an antifriction roller 34 which is journalled in the body of rocker element 35. Upon the circular port-ion a-a(t of the cam 33 the roller 34 rides along without moving the rocker element 35. If now the roller 34. runs upon the higher portion of cam 33, it rocks the element 35 counter-clockwise. As the edge 27 of lever 25 already contacts with the square stop 28, this stop after sliding along this edge, engages the notch 36 of lever 25. The element 35 with its detents 17 and 18 is thus locked against a backward motion in the clockwise direction.

- wise and forces the bar towards the left so that the push bar misses detent 17 during each further attempted Stroke of the lever 1.

.The just described operation serves merely to prepare the printing and delivering oper ation and to lock those parts by which the printing process could be interrupted before the delivery of the number of tickets for which the apparatus has been set.

The pin 12 serves for stopping the. working of the apparatus. If the toothed quadrant 11 returns into its end position during the printing process, as described further on, pin 12 moves the locking lever 25 counterclockwise so that the square stop 28 is released from notch 36, permitting rocker to return to the normal position shown. There by detent- 18 moves downward into the path of nose 19 of the lever 20 when this lever has during its rotation with cam 33 reached the position shown. The nose 22 is thus pulled out of the notch 31 and the driving shaft 29 is uncoupled from the mechanism.

In Fig. 2 of the drawing the printing mechanism and the paper feeding gear are shown in a diagrammatic way. Upon the shaft 29 which carries the coupling disc 23 with notch 31 shown in broken lines. is mounted a spur wheel 40 which drives the printing or impression cylinder 42 through an intermediate spur wheel 41. The printing cylinder 42 contains in its interior two small type cylinders 43 and 44 which serve for adjusting and printing the different demarcations or characters (date, running number and so on). The spur wheel on the printing cylinder 42 drives the paper feeder 144. 45 is the delivery slot (see Figs. 6, 7 and 8), 46

- the knife for severing the finished ticket from the blank strip, see in particular Fig. 6. An inking roller 47 serves for applying the ink to the printing cylinder 42. The design is such that the printing cylinder 42 revolves continuously during the entire operation of the mechanism. During part of the working eriod'the printing cylinder is supplied with ink while the printing is effected during another part of the period. 1T0 obtain a continuous series of tickets upon the strip of paper the printing cylinder 42 is coupled with the paper feed 144 in such a manner, that the paper is fed only when the printing mechanism. is ready for operation. The arrangement is preferably suchthat the printing cylinder 42 carries a toothed quadrant which engages the paper feed 144 only when the first types of the printing mechanism are just opposite the paper strip ,to be printed. A rocking lever 48 enables the necessary pressure to be set up.

To make sure that the finished ticket is cut off from the blank strip. the drive of the knife issuch that the knife becomes operative when the feed is arrested i. 0. during the periods in which the printing cylinder 42 is inked.

The operation of the printing and delivering mechanisms and the cutting or severing device will be gathered from Figs. 3 and 8 of the drawings. Adjacent to the already described disc 33 and the spur-wheel 40 are loosely mounted upon the driving shaft 29 a cam or tappet 49 and a cam 50 which are firmly joined with the spur-whecl 40 and the cam 33. so that all of them are simultaneously coupled with the shaft 29 by the pawl 20 as described before. Cam 49 serves for actuating the cutting or severing gear, while the cam 50 controls the return of the toothed sectors 11 and the cutting motion itself. It may now be assumed that the quadrant or sector 11 has taken up the position 11' indicated in broken lines, so that the pawl 13 engages one of its teeth. For the control of the above-mentioned functions a control rocker 52 is provided which is pivoted at 53. For cooperation with ratchet quadrant 11 is providcd an escapement pawl 14, controlled by a spring 14 which tends to throw the pawl into engagement with the ratchet quadrant 11. In the position of the elements shown in Fig. 3, pawl 14 is forced towards the right by the pin 51 mounted on control rocker 52. This rocker is controlled by a spring :54 which has the tendency to turn it in the direction of the arrow. A roller 55 mounted upon lever 52 runs upon the periphery of the cam 50, and by this cam the rocking motion of control lever 52 is accomplished. Cam 49 controls a rocking lever 57 through a roller 57 running on its periphery, and when cam 49 revolves counter-clockwise its elevated periphery portion raises the roller and thus moves lever 57 to the left, thereby releasing a detent 52 of control rocker 52 by which the latter is held in the position shown in Fig. 3, so that under the influence of its spring 54 rocker 52 can rock counter-clockwise. Control rocker 52 abuts with its pin 58 against the free arm of pawl 13, as soon as pin 51 releases the lever 14. The toothed quadrant 11 now escapes clockwise the distance of one tooth, while pawl 13 is disengaged and pawl 14 engaged. The full reverse motion is carried out when the pawl 13 is again released by pin 58 and the pawl 14' is lifted again by the pin 51. This reverse motion is controlled by the cam 50. The elements 13, 14, 52 thus operate similar to the escapement mechanism of a watch. To the control rocker 52 is linked the operating mechanism of knife M 46 by means of the-connecting rod 59 and a bellcrank lever 60, which is normally pulled in portion of cam 50 and is withdrawn by spring 61 when the roller runs upon the lower circular portion of the cam.

Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings illustrate a device which prevents any change being made in the setting of the printing mechanism once the printing operation has been initiated. The stop 9 on selector drum 6. previously mentioned, and for simplicity shown as fixed in Fig. 1, is in reality not firmly fixed upon this drum, but jonrnaled upon a pivot pin 62, so that it can rock transversely to the rotation plane of the drum. Its upper end (see Fig. 5) is disposed in the hollow portion of shaft 63 which carries the lever 1 and the selector drum 6. This upper stop end in turn is engaged in a bolt 64 which is projected by means of spring 68 into the path of a slide 65. This slide is provided with a cam edge 66 and coupled with rocker 35 by a pin 65. If rocker 35 is moved by the cam 33 in the direction of the arrow 67, the bar 65 is drawn downward and runs with its cam edge 66 against the spherical head of the bolt 64 which is thereby forced inwards against the resistance of spring 68. In this way stop detent '9 is swung out of the way of stop pin 10 and the coupling between drum 6 and quadrant 11 previously described with reference to Fig. 1 cannot occur, so that any further motion of the selector drum 6 remains ineffective. The parts 6 and 11 are now independent of each other.

The operation of the apparatus thus comprises the following stages: selecting the number of tickets, releasing the lock coupling the driving gear and starting the printing and feeding mechanism thereby, releasing the cutting mechanism, reversing, cutting off the tickets.

Fig. 6 of the drawings shows diagrammatically the device for forming a pack or stack of tickets. The strip of paper issues from the slot 45 and is cut off by the knife 46. Just behind the knife 46 runs a slide 69 which may be connected with knife 46 and moves the ticket in the direction of the arrow as soon as the cut is completed. Into the path of the'ticket thus moved extend two spring members 7 0 and 71 provided with a nose each. The ticket pushed forward by the slide 69 forces the two noses aIpart and is pushed against a spring contro ed slide 72. VVhen' slide 69 recedes, the ticket is detained by the resilient slide 72 against the noses and 71.

If aplurality of tickets are printed, the tickets are pushed one after the other-into the pack forming or piling mechanism by the slide 69.

Fig. 7 of the drawing shows diagrammatically a device for protecting the apparatus against the insertion of coins and other ar ticles into the ticket slot. Referring to this figure 73 is the cover plate of the delivery apparatus, 46 the severing knife, and 45 the delivery slot. Above this slot. is located a 3 pushed forward by the feeder mechanism it forces the plate 74 upward and out of the way. When the ticket is withdrawn the plate. 74 again covers the ticket slot 45" automatically by the action of spring 76.

Various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a printing and vending machine for delivering any desired number of agiven '-maximnm of printed articles, a hand operated number selector adjustable according to the number of printed articles desired, a hand actuated operation control element and mechanism connected therewith for initiating the printing and vending operation of the machine, said selector and. said control element beingarranged one in the path of the other, permitting the operator when actuating the number selector to actuate said operation control element only after the selector operation being arranged one in the path of the other,

permitting the operator when actuating the chine after the selection ismade, a driving' shaft for the machine, a vending mechan sm for delivering the tickets, and a coupling element for coupling said vending mechanism with said shaft, and means actuated by said initiating means for releasing said coupling element to couple said shaft and vending mechanism to perform the operation selected and means actuated by said selecting means for releasing said coupling and holding it in inoperative position after the desired working cycles are completed. i

4. In a ticket vending and printing apparatus the combination with means for selecting the number of tickets desired, hand operated means for initiating the operation of the machine after the selection is made, a driving shaft for the machine, a vending mechanism for delivering the tickets, and a coupling ele- 5 ment for coupling said vending mechanism with said shaft, and means actuated by said initiating means for releasin said coupling element to couple said sha' t and vendin mechanism to perform the operation selecte means actuated by said selectin means for releasing said coupling and hol in it in inoperative position after the desire working cycles are completed, and a ticket severing mechanism actuated by said shaft when said 15 coupling is engaged.

In testimony whereof I afiix m signature.

EDUARD MARC THAL. 

